


The Coworkers Know

by Help__Obsessed_Artist



Category: Green Lantern (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crushes, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hal Jordan Is An Idiot, Halbarry - Freeform, M/M, Secret Crush, barry is crushing hard, hal is oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 16:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18742654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Help__Obsessed_Artist/pseuds/Help__Obsessed_Artist
Summary: Hal has a tendency to hang around Barry's work whenever he's in town, leading to an awkward assumption from Barry's colleagues.And it doesn't help that they're living together.





	The Coworkers Know

**Author's Note:**

> Just as Shakespeare, it started as a comedy and ended as a tragedy. 
> 
> (jk its a happy ending but there is some pretty heavy angst.)

Barry Allen made his way down the halls of the CCPD station, going over numerous calculations in his head in the span of a second. Being a speedster gave him an edge when it came to quick results, and the faster Barry analyzed the evidence, the faster he could get the detective currently breathing down his neck to back off. 

The blond opened the door to the crime lab, side stepping a coworker without glancing up. 

“Hey Barry, I'm going for coffee. Do you want anything?” Patty Spivot, a sharp-tongued rookie crime tech stood patiently at the door. Barry blinked up at her after taking his seat back at his desk, almost having not heard what she said. 

“Oh! Uh, sure. Thanks Patty.” Barry turned his attention back to his notes and began to zone out again, almost missing her next words. 

“Oh and Barry, your boyfriend called. He said to tell you he's dropping by for lunch.” 

“Okay thanks Pa- wait  _ what _ ?” Barry blinked up at her, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. 

“She said Hal called.” Tony answered from the other side of the room over the donut holes in his cheeks. He had his feet propped up lazily on the table, face covered in white powder. 

Barry's neck went hot and his ears and cheeks burned red. A small strangled noise escaped his throat before he could find his words. 

_ Did he say Hal? As in his best friend Hal Jordan?! _

Patty frowned, “Are you okay? Don't worry, he didn't tell me any embarrassing secrets.” Patty put a hand on her hip, unsuccessfully trying to break the tension. 

“No its not- I'm- Hal a-and I-” Barry choked on his tongue as his blush began to move further down his neck, “W-We’re not dating!” 

This made Tony and Patty exchange looks. “You're… not?” 

“No!” Barry was choked and a little more hysterical than was probably acceptable, but he hadn't expected his colleagues to think he was  _ dating his best friend _ . “W-We're just friends! I mean he's my  _ best  _ friend!” 

“Y’know they say you should always marry your best friend.” Tony chimed, letting out a chuckle at the strangled sound Barry made in response. 

The speedster took a deep breath, his mind working a million miles a millisecond and he tried desperately  _ not  _ to think about the idea of  _ dating _ Hal, much less marrying him. Both of them living together, waking up in the same bed, making each other breakfast-

**_Stop_ ** . 

“What… what made you think we were dating?” Barry managed to choke out, the redness in his face seldom fading. Patty shrugged. 

“I thought it was obvious? You talk about him all the time, and he comes around almost once a week ‘just to say hi’.” 

_ ‘Well, every week he was on Earth.’ _ Barry thought and swallowed. He had to admit; that was a little coupley. But it wasn't like he and Hal had even acted that close around his colleagues. (He didn't even want to think about how Hal would react to this assumption. Unrelenting teasing didn't even scratch the surface of the things Hal might do.) 

Barry managed to find his voice. “We're  _ not _ dating.” He said firmly, trying desperately to swallow his embarrassment. Tony threw his arms to the side in a shrug and Patty gave him a strange look. She stared at him for several moments, before he met her gaze again. 

“ _ What _ ?” He croaked wearily and Patty seemed to snap back to reality. 

“Nothing!” She said quickly, and retreated out the door. 

Barry let out a long, inaudible sigh and rubbed his temples. Concentrating was that much more difficult now, and he began to scold himself at his desk. 

He had to stop thinking about it. He did  **not** like Hal. No way. Hal was just… 

_ Irresistibly charming, witty, funny, easy to talk to, very  _ **_very_ ** _ attractive, especially when he was kicking ass. Speaking of his ass- _

He groaned and banged his head on his desk as his brain rattled off those responses despite protest. He ignored the questioning noise from Tony and Barry decided he needed a breath of air. He walked quickly out the door, rubbing his eyes before colliding with something solid, almost knocking him off balance. 

Warm hands steadied him easily by the shoulders. 

“Hey Bar.” Hal smirked at him. “Head in the clouds there?” 

Barry scoffed, shrugged off his hands and trying  _ will _ his skin not to get even  _ hotter _ ( and to will those compromising thoughts and images away ). “The only one with his head in the clouds here is  _ you _ , pilot.” He quipped easily. 

Patty turned the corner at that moment, having heard the exchange and raised an eyebrow at Barry from behind Hal. 

_ Oh. Maybe that did seem like flirting _ . 

Barry coughed, and Patty took that as an invitation. 

“Hey Hal.” She smiled, handing Barry his coffee. He started to gulp it down, ignoring the way it burned his throat. ( Caffeine actually had a weird effect on speedsters, and it tended to help calm them down. )

“How are you Patty?” Hal said easily, hands slipping into the pockets of his flight jacket and not noticing the existential crisis Barry was currently trying to ignore. Patty did though. 

“Good. So… where are you going for lunch?” She asked, eyeing the man who was currently trying to drown himself in his coffee. She almost felt bad for bringing it up, but if they were just friends, then why was he acting so flustered about the assumption? 

Hal slung an arm over Barry's shoulders. “There's a new Mexican place that just opened down the street from Bar’s apartment.” 

“How’d you hear about it?”

“Well seeing as I've been practically living on Barry's couch, I've been trying to pay him back by taking him out and stuff. I thought it'd be fun to try somewhere new here.” He didn't mention his recent eviction, and Barry felt his entire body start to heat up, flowering from the contact of Hal's arm on his shoulder. 

_ Dang it Barry, get it together _ . He scolded himself. 

“Interesting.” Patty said silkily, almost enjoying watching Barry squirm. He was obviously more than just a bit bothered. “Barry didn't mention you two were living together.” 

Barry choked, feeling the burn of coffee that threatened to come out of his nose. Hal just frowned at him, taking a moment to pat the speedster’s back firmly. Patty had to stifle laughter. 

“Yeah Barry can be pretty secretive.” Hal replied distractedly, rubbing Barry's back as the man caught his breath. 

“I'll say.” Patty smiled. 

“Can you two  _ stop _ talking about me like I'm not here?” Barry growled, shooting Patty with the best Batglare™ he could. He was going to get her back for this. 

Hal raised an eyebrow, lips quirked up in amusement. Barry was flustered about  _ something _ , and now Hal was determined to find out what it was. 

“Don't get your bowtie in a twist there.” Hal winked at him and his eyes took in every emotion that passed over Barry’s face. Shock, embarrassment, then annoyance. 

He _loved_ how easy it was to get Barry riled up. 

“Well!” Patty’s smile grew wider as she brushed past them. “I’ll take care of that evidence you were looking over, Barry. Hal, it was nice to see you.” She kicked open the door with her heel, turning to glance at Barry one last time with a mischievous  _ glint _ in her eyes. “Have a nice date.” 

The door shut before Barry could respond, trying not to choke again on more coffee. He made a full 180, walking quickly to the precinct lobby as Hal jogged to catch up. Barry’s eyes flicked to see a confused smirk on the brunett’s face. 

“Date?” 

Barry weaseled out a small, fake laugh, tossing the empty coffee cup and shedding his labcoat. “Huh. Yeah. Weird.” He said shortly. 

Barry grabbed his coat, making a beeline for the door and Hal caught his arm when they were outside. 

“Bar, you feeling okay?” Hal frowned in concern, eyes combing his face. “It looks like you got way too much sun.” 

“Is that a bad thing?” Barry’s reply was clipped with embarrassment and now anger that his blush was only worsening under Hal’s gaze. 

“Considering that you spend most of your work hours in a dark room, I’d say yes.” The pilot’s response was distracted and he moved a hand up to check the temperature of Barry’s forehead, “Christ Barry, are you sick? Your skin is really hot.” 

Barry jerked his head back, suddenly bristled. “I’m not hot,  _ you’re  _ hot!” 

Hal blinked and Barry choked. 

“That’s not- I mean- You’re-” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Look, just forget it!” 

Barry began to walk at a fast-pace down the street, skin  _ buzzing _ with adrenaline. 

_ Dang it Patty. Dang it brain. Dang it all. I  _ **_do not_ ** _ like Hal. _

Hal ran to catch up again, flipping his stance to walk backwards and look Barry in the face. 

“Dude, you are seriously shit at keeping secrets. I know what it does to you.” 

“Let it go, Hal.” Barry groaned, rubbing his eyes again. All these intruding thoughts and questions were starting to give him a tension headache. 

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t force you to tell me what was going on?” 

“A considerate one.” Barry almost snapped. 

“We both know considerate isn’t really one of my strong suits. Charming? Sure. Kick-ass? Absolutely.” 

“Annoying and invasive of personal space?” Barry continued. 

“Bingo.” Hal grinned, stopping in front of his friend. “So come on. Out with it.” 

“It’s nothing.” Barry moved to step aside him but Hal held him in place by the shoulders. 

“You’re blushing like a schoolgirl and you almost died snorting coffee in there.” 

Barry just glared at him. Hal’s eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment before his lips pulled into a wide smile. 

“ _ Oh~ _ . It’s that crime tech, isn’t it? You  _ liiike _ her!” 

“ _ Patty? _ ” Barry sputtered and scoffed, shrugging out of Hal’s grip. “No way.” 

Hal practically skipped beside him as he started up his gait again. “Oh you are  _ so _ into her! Just look at your face Bar! Why don’t you make a move? Do you need a wingman? Because it’s actually my job description, not just a hobby, you know.” 

“I don’t like Patty.” Barry growled with finality. Hal could be such a  _ pain  _ in the ass sometimes. All that persistent nosing, and loyalty, and freaking caring nature about Barry’s problems-

No. He was mad at Hal. Hal was being nosy. He was supposed to be  _ mad _ , not subconsciously complimenting him. 

“But Bar, seriously? Word of advice: just ask her out.” 

Barry  _ groaned _ . 

* * *

“Can you tell me what Barry’s thinking?” 

J’onn looked up in suspicion as Hal leaned against the Watchtower computer, eyeing the Martian. J’onn blinked, turning his attention back to the large screen. 

“Hal, it is invasive and rude to read another’s thoughts.” He replied calmly. 

“Ok,  _ yeah _ ,” Hal agreed, folding his arms over his chest, “But isn’t it in your nature?” 

“I was informed upon coming to Earth that another’s thoughts are private, and should thus remain unprodded. I have trained myself not to listen, as it is none of my business.” 

Hal sighed, “Look, I wouldn’t be asking you if Barry would just tell me what’s really going on, but he won’t  _ talk _ to me. I’m getting freaked out. We aren’t supposed to keep secrets from each other.” 

“Perhaps he is just uncomfortable telling you things he wishes you not to know.” 

“I’m his  _ best friend _ . What kind of a friend am I if he doesn’t feel like he can tell me  _ anything _ ? It’s obvious that he likes someone, but he keeps insisting its not Patty even though it is.” 

“Maybe it is not.” Hal stared at him and J’onn’s eyes flicked back to his for a moment. “Perhaps you should not jump to conclusions so hastily.” He continued. 

Hal ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. “Well if it’s not Patty then who is it?” 

“I do not know.” The Martian said shortly and Hal frowned. 

“I swear, everyone on this team is terrible at lying. With the exception of Bruce, cause I’m not even sure that’s his real name.” 

“It is not my place to say.” 

“Is it Diana? She'll tear that poor boy apart…” 

J'onn just sighed. “Hal. If he is truly your best friend, he will come to you in his time of need. Do not push for answers prematurely, or you will risk your friendship in exchange for clarification.” 

* * *

Barry  _ totally _ liked Hal. 

He was irreversibly, head-over-heels, in  _ love _ with Hal Jordan. He realized it two days after the incident with Patty at the precinct, when he came home to see Hal passed out on the couch, face smushed into a pillow and hair a mess. Barry had been working overtime, and come home to see his best friend had bought him takeout from his favorite Chinese place, wrapped in foil in the microwave and that he had clearly been waiting up for the speedster, only to fall victim to exhaustion. 

Barry felt himself smile at Hal as he snored, drooling slightly with the blanket kicked off onto the floor. 

He put a hand to his face, smothering a  _ groan _ and screwing his eyes shut. 

**_Fuck_ ** . 

Barry let out a long breath, cracking one eye open wearily. Hal was still fast asleep, twitching adorably and the blond blushed for the thousandth time in the past two days. He huffed at himself, walking quietly over to the couch, picking up the blanket and draping it carefully over Hal’s sleeping form. He smiled fondly, his fingers brushing the hair from Hal’s forehead and the pilot made a small noise in his sleep. 

Barry jerked his hand back quickly, turning and speeding to his room. He shut the door, leaning against it with a breath. 

He couldn’t  _ like _ Hal. They were best friends! Hal didn’t even think of him that way. There was no way. He hadn’t hinted at any sort of attraction to Barry further than platonic; in fact, he was trying tirelessly to get Barry to ask out Patty. Someone that likes you doesn’t exactly try to set you up with other people. 

He couldn’t risk his friendship with Hal. Hal was one of the most important people in his life. If he lost that… 

Barry would fall apart. 

The speedster swallowed, screwing his eyes shut and steeling himself. 

He could ignore it. 

Yeah. 

He had to. 

Hal could never know how he felt. Barry could go back to the way things were before…

He had to. 

Barry sighed, plopping down onto the bed and burying his face in his pillow. 

He  _ had _ to. 

* * *

“ _ Look out!! _ ” 

Barry ran up the side of the building in a  _ flash _ , jumping to wrap his arms around Hal and landing easily on another building. He minded the trajectory, speeding down the building to an alleyway on the street. He set the man down and Hal blinked, wavering and holding his head. 

“Fuck… Do you mind warning me before you pluck me outta the air like that? You’re gonna give me whiplash one of these days.”

Flash crossed his arms over his chest. “I  _ did _ warn you. One second later and you’d be burnt as the toast you made this morning.” 

Green Lantern blinked hard to stop his swimming vision and his eyes settled on the scarlet speedster. “Hey, I know I’m shit at making breakfast, but you said it wasn’t bad.” 

“It wasn’t  _ good _ .” Flash countered and Green Lantern put a hand to his chest in mock offense. 

“You’re breaking my heart, Bar.” 

“Quit flirting you two. GL, we need a construct to handle the monster's tentacles. Flash, you missed three civilians in the upper level of a building west of the battle.” Batman’s voice crackled stern through their comms and Barry swallowed. 

“On it.” Hal’s suit lit up green again as he ascended back into the sky and Barry sped off below. 

“And we’re not flirting.” Barry muttered. 

No one responded. 

Barry sighed, entering the building and speeding up the staircase. He crashed through the doors at the top level, scanning every room at light speed while the battle with the alien monster outside shook the floors. 

He located them in the last room, two women and one man huddled in a broom closet on the far side of the room near the windows. Flash ran up to them, skidding to a stop. 

“Its okay,” He assured them, reaching out a hand. “I’ll get you out of here.” He grabbed one of the women, cradling her neck to avoid whiplash and speeding her out of the building, several miles out of town with the rest of the city’s residents. 

Flash set her down carefully, nodding and making it back the building in a matter of seconds. 

He was almost to the closet again when the window to his left  _ exploded _ , sending him crashing into the wall when another person collided with him. 

Hal grunted, quickly fashioning a clamp contruct to trap the giant tentacle that slithered in after him. His shoulder dug painfully into Barry’s sternum as the alien struggled and the speedster let out a gasping noise as he was pinned to the wall. 

“Sorry.” Hal said shortly, shaking with effort to keep the slithering appendage in place. 

“Can you move?” Barry wheezed. “Can’t breathe.” 

“Trying!” Hal wiggled slightly, concentration focused as he made more clamps and chains. His entire body pressed Barry hard into the wall and Barry gasped, suddenly becoming aware of a fear of being crushed to death. 

“Flash and I are pinned can  _ someone _ sever this damn tentacle so I don’t kill him?!” 

“On it!” Clark’s voice came over the comms as Flash struggled, trying to wiggle free from behind the man pinned to his chest between his legs. 

_ You cannot breathe. Do  _ **_not_ ** _ think about your crush on Hal right now you are  _ **_being crushed_ ** . Barry thought to himself to counteract the blushing fact that he could  _ feel  _ every muscle of Hal’s back quivering with effort against him.  _ This is not normal, we are acting normal, Barry. Now is not the fucking time! _

Barry wheezed, hands bracing against Hal's shoulders when there was a hot surge and an inhuman roar shook the building. The tentacle went limp and Hal slumped back against Barry, panting. The pressure had let up on his chest and the speedster  _ gasped _ in relief. 

After a moment Hal moved, shaking glass out of his hair as he helped his friend stand. Barry coughed, glancing at Hal for a moment before shaking his head. 

“You… just made me realize… I'm claustrophobic.” Barry panted and Hal rolled his shoulders, wincing. 

“Really? I would've thought you liked me pinning you against a wall.” 

Barry glared, swallowing hard and trying not to blush as his chest tightened again. Hal smiled easily, obviously joking and unaware what that idea was  _ doing _ to Barry. 

Flash shook his head again, trying to clear his mind before turning back to the whimpering civilians. He picked the man up without a word, speeding him out and returning in a blink. Hal flew out as he evacuated the last woman, speeding back to the top of a building to assess the scene. 

A giant alien monster had crashed to Earth hours earlier, coming out of the ocean to start an attack on Coast City. Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern were trying to wrangle in the thing's countless tentacles, Batman was flying around in his plane, hitting the creature with the occasional missile and trying to find a soft spot. Aquaman and Martian Manhunter were on the ground, trying to keep it in one area. 

Flash frowned. The creature's face was rounded and grotesque, rows of sharp teeth lining a circular, funnel-like mouth, from which it shot beams of energy. 

The monster’s abdomen proved too armored and thick to get to its heart. He had to find its eyes. If the thing had a brain, it would be connected to is eyes. 

He blinked hard and saw it. Two beady eyes, almost imperceivable among the slimy folds of its wrinkly skin. 

J'onn and Arthur had their hands full trying not to be stomped on. Diana, Clark, and Hal were busy trying to stop structure damage and keep the monster in place. Batwing had advanced tech, but Barry knew Bruce couldn't hit a target that small. 

Barry acted before thinking about it. 

Barry ran back across the roof, taking a running start and  _ flinging _ himself off the edge of the building. 

He hit the monster hard in the face, scrambling as he bounced off the thick skin to grab at the folds of its flesh on its face. His thighs hit several teeth and he cried out in pain.

“Flash!” Bruce circled over the area, stopping his assault of bullets on the creature as the rest of the team's attention turned to its head. 

Barry scrambled up, legs still dangling, but close enough to the eyes that he straightened his hand, vibrating it at light speed and plunging it into the eye socket. 

The creature  _ screamed _ , thrashing its head and causing Barry's legs to hit against more teeth. The tentacles around it broke free, hitting several other leaguers who had been distracted momentarily by Barry's assault on the thing's face. 

Flash ground his teeth together, hanging on as tightly as he could and moving his hand further. He had to get to its  _ brain _ . 

He hoped it even had one. 

The creature's skin began to heat up and Barry gasped, slipping momentarily on its slimy face and trying to move his hand down quickly. 

A hot  _ burn _ singed Barry's legs and he  _ screamed  _ in pain, plunging his hand down until the energy blast stopped. 

The creature paused, swaying slightly before falling forward onto several buildings. Barry fell with it, his back hitting something soft and green and he winced, the skin on his legs burning not unlike they had just been peeled with a cheese grater. He glanced down to see that they  _ looked _ like it too. His boots had been vaporized, large chunks of skin had been fried off on his shins and there were several gashes from the teeth in his thighs. 

_ Note to self: never do  _ **_that_ ** _ again _ . 

The construct lowered to a rooftop and Hal was standing over him. 

“Are you out of your fucking  _ mind _ ?!?!” The pilot's voice was loud and frantic as he stared at Barry's legs. 

“‘M good…” Barry lied through his teeth, screwing his eyes shut and trying not to blackout from the  _ pain _ . 

“No! No you are not! Quit  _ lying _ to me Bar!” Hal ran his hands through his hair in a panic, whipping his head around. “J'onn!” 

J'onn and Diana flew over while Clark and Arthur looked over the body of the creature to ensure it was dead. 

J'onn looked over Barry's body, placing a hand on his leg and Barry cried out in pain before he could stop himself. Hal turned a sickly pale. 

“He has suffered severe burns and gashes in his legs. His expedited healing process should counteract it shortly, but it may take a day or two for him to recover.” 

“What. The. Hell. Were. You. Thinking.” Hal muttered through gritted teeth and Barry glanced up at him. Hal's breathing was labored and his eyes were wild with concern. “You nearly got yourself  _ killed _ Barry!” 

“Hal.” Diana held out a hand to calm him and the brunett  _ huffed _ , turning and stalking to the other side of the roof to pace. 

J'onn placed a finger on Barry's pulse as Diana walked off to console Hal. 

“He is not angry.” J'onn said quietly, noting the guilt on Barry's face. 

“I know…” Barry muttered. 

“He is worried. He cares about you.” 

“... I know…” The response was more whispered this time. 

“In more ways than you may think.” J'onn continued and Barry's eyes flicked up to stare at him. He chuckled after a moment, gritting his teeth through another wave of pain. 

“My thoughts are pretty loud, huh?” He joked and J'onn smiled smally. 

“Your hesitation is understandable. I am not one to reveal secrets or personal thoughts, however, Hal is your closest friend.” 

“Yeah… Y're right…” Barry's words became slurred and his vision grew dark, the last of the adrenaline leaving his system and letting him blackout. 

* * *

Barry woke up again to a numb tingling in his legs. He could feel the harmless sparks traveling across the skin of his legs, an obvious sign that he was healing. But from what…? 

His eyes fluttered, feeling as heavy as sandbags against the morphine in his system. Barry blinked wearily, nose crinkled in concentration as he tried to remember what put him in Medbay through a foggy mind. 

There was teeth, an energy blast, Hal yelling at him… 

_ Right… _ Barry sighed as he remembered the writhing pain in his legs and he swallowed, trying not to think about how they had looked. 

Barry moved to sit up and  _ hissed _ through his teeth, falling back down on the pillow. Holy  _ Christ _ , even moving his legs a little hurt like hell. 

There was a stirring to his right and he blinked, squinting at a glowing green figure. His vision cleared for a moment. 

Hal laid with his head on Barry's mattress, one hand gripped his loosely while the other was resting limp by Barry's side, fingers resting on his abdomen. 

He was still in uniform, scabs forming uncovered on his face, probably from refusing treatment. Hal never did like Medbay. So why was he here? 

“Hal?” Barry's voice was croaked and small and he swallowed the metallic taste. Hal stirred again, muttering. 

There was a flash of light and Barry blinked when a green dome appeared around the bed. Barry squinted in confusion, rolling his head on his pillow again and squeezing Hal's hand. 

“Hal…” 

Hal jerked up, the shield around the two growing brighter as he looked around. 

“Hey… We're in Medbay. What's with the shield?” 

Hal blinked at him, as if just noticing he was there and he let out a long breath, willing the construct to vanish. 

“You're awake.” Hal's voice was croaked like his and he took a moment to clear it. Barry noticed the redness around his eyes. 

“Hal? Are you okay?” He moved a hand to Hal's cheek and frowned as it was batted away. 

“I'm fine.  _ You're _ the one whose legs got torched.” 

Barry swallowed at the hurt look on Hal's face as the man refused to meet his eyes. 

How could he have been so reckless? Hal was upset now... Then again, why was Hal so angry?  _ He _ was usually the one that busted into a fight blind and ended up bedridden with Barry fussing over him. 

“I'm sorry Hal… What I did was stupid-” 

“Yeah it was.” Hal agreed and Barry shot him a look. 

“It's not like you're very much of a think-before-you-leap guy, Hal.” 

Hal sighed, moving his free hand up to rub his eyes and squeezed Barry's hand. The speedster's attention snapped to it, his face suddenly heating up. 

“Bar…” Hal cursed under his breath, his eyes finally meeting Barry's, “You freaked me out yesterday. I seriously thought…” He paused, running a hand through his hair and clearing his throat. “I thought you were gonna die…” 

Barry took a long breath, staring down at the white shirt someone had put him in. 

“But I didn't…” He tried to smile and Hal just frowned at him. 

“That's not the point Bar. You were reckless and stupid. That's  _ my _ job. Not only that, but you've been acting weird too!” 

Hal huffed, squeezing his hand again. 

“I don't know what's going on with you, but all this secret stuff is freaking me out. We don't keep secrets Bar, we made a pact. Then you go throw yourself into the mouth of a fucking monster. Are you crazy?!” Hal's voice wasn't loud, but it was dripping with worry and an emotion Barry couldn't quite place. “Can you please just tell me what's going on..? I can help you…” 

Barry's face grew hotter and he swallowed, breaking Hal's gaze to stare at the cotton blanket. 

“It's… Complicated…” 

“ _ Please _ just tell me…” Hal whispered. “I'm being serious; you're starting to scare me…” 

Barry let out a long breath. 

Okay… 

Okay.

J'onn was right. Hal was his best friend. They had been close for years. He could trust Hal… 

He had to trust Hal.

Hal had the right to know. But he didn't have to feel the same way. 

Barry's chest tightened and he felt his eyes sting for a moment. 

His words came out whispered and small. 

“You… remember what Patty said? About… Uh…” He struggled to find the words and Hal squeezed his hand in encouragement. “Well she… She said that thing about us… Uhm… Going out on a date…?” 

Hal blinked. 

“What, that freaked you out?” 

“I uh… Well yeah…” Barry muttered, still refusing to look up. 

“So… You're acting weird because your coworker made an obvious joke about us dating.” Hal clarified. 

“K-Kinda?” 

“Because you don't see me that way.” 

“Because I  _ do _ .” The words escaped Barry's lips before he could stop them. He felt Hal’s hand stiffen in his. 

“Come… Come again…?” Hal's voice was a squeak that Barry had never heard before and he glanced up. 

Hal was pale, his eyes wide and flicking between Barry's frantically. 

“I… Uhm….”  _ God, _ why was this so hard. “I… Like you… As in a… as in more than a friendship kinda way?” Man, Barry was bad at this. 

Hal stood quickly, moving away from the bed. He fumbled out a quick excuse as his ears got red. “I h-have to… I'll be…” Hal cursed, and he looked at the ground as Barry's hands clenched. 

“I gotta go.” He choked out, before flying out of the room. 

Barry let out a rattling breath, staring at the closing doors. 

How.

How could he have been so  _ stupid _ . 

Hal didn't feel the same way about him and now he was freaked. 

Barry choked, covering his mouth to stifle a whimper and squeezing his eyes shut against tears. 

His legs  _ burned _ again when he brought them to his chest, no doubt risking tears in his stitches with the movement but he didn't care. 

The pain in his legs didn't hurt as badly as his chest. 

* * *

Hal floated outside the watchtower, thinking. He stared hard at a distant star, the silence of space allowing his thoughts to be almost painfully loud in his head. 

Barry liked him. 

Like,  _ liked him, _ liked him. 

It all made sense now; the crazy blushing, his coworkers joking about the two of them, the slight flinch Barry had recently whenever Hal touched him. 

But… Why? Why would Barry like  _ him _ ? He was a cocky screw up who couldn't hold down an apartment and was barely a functioning member of society. His family disowned him, he kept going back into that toxic relationship with Carol against better judgment, and he could be  _ such _ a jackass sometimes… 

Barry was perfect. He was down to Earth, laughed at all of Hal's stupid jokes, and was, without a doubt, the  _ smartest _ person Hal knew. He could trust Barry with anything…

His eyes widened suddenly and his gut twisted. 

J'onn had been right. Barry cared about someone else, namely him, and J'onn said he would come to him when he was ready. 

He trusted Barry with anything, surely Barry felt the same way…

A sickening realization hit him like bricks. 

He  _ had _ come to Hal. Trusted Hal with a very serious thing and Hal  _ ran away _ . 

Hal buried his face in his hands. 

He really  _ was _ a jackass… 

But it had scared him. Hal was a man without fear, but staring into Barry's eyes… Being told he was liked by the greatest person Hal could imagine… he had been  _ terrified _ . 

Everyone knew his track record with relationships. It was pretty much just a twisted on and off with Carol. Every other relationship, romantic or platonic, ended with the other person leaving. 

Was he terrified Barry liked him, or that he liked Barry and was scared Barry would leave…? 

He remembered how he felt seeing Barry fall, hearing his scream of pain as the alien burned his legs and how the sound  _ rattled _ his brain, making his heart stop with a tightening of his chest. The  _ fear _ he felt catching him with a construct, seeing the pained  _ wail _ that escaped Barry's throat when J'onn touched his leg. 

Hal had winced at Barry's state when his legs were stitched and wrapped, and even though he was stable, that fear was still there as he sat by the bed for hours, afraid something would happen to him in his sleep. 

He remembered the vulnerable look in Barry's blue eyes, the  _ fear _ that he instilled, and the  _ heartbreak _ when Hal flew out the door. 

He was an idiot. 

Hal was flying back into the watchtower, jaw tight and blinking away a wretched stinging behind his eyes. 

He burst through the door, only having been gone for twenty minutes and he froze. 

Barry blinked up at him in surprise, having been hiding behind the arms crossed over his legs, his face wet. 

Hal's heart cracked. 

Barry quickly wiped his face, sniffing and burying his face back into his arms. 

“ _ What _ ?” Barry's voice was quiet and broken, chipping further at Hal's heart. 

Hal sighed, running a hand through his hair and staring at the ground. 

He had to do this. 

_ … How should he do this? _

“I uh… Well… Can you… can you just look at me for a sec?” 

Barry was still for a moment, moving his head up reluctantly to peek at Hal from behind his arms. Hal sighed again, trying to straighten his thoughts and not stare; not think about how heartbreaking Barry's eyes looked. 

“I know I'm a jackass. And a screw up. And an asshole. I'm stupid and reckless. I can't hold down a job worth a damn and I'm shit with feelings.” He paused, scratching his head. 

“Do you have a point?” Barry asked tiredly, sniffing again and Hal began to pace in front of the bed. 

“Yes. Look, I'm sort of… awful when it comes to feelings because everyone always ends up leaving me so I don't get close to people because then, I don't fear them leaving.” 

“Yes Hal. I know. You are without fear. That's a given?” 

Hal turned to face him again. 

“Yes exactly. I am  _ fearless _ . I'm not afraid of anything… But see, the thing is… is that I'm  _ terrified _ of you.” 

Barry blinked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as his head peeked further out. 

“ _ You _ scare me Bar. I was terrified yesterday when you pulled that stunt, and I was terrified when you said you liked me because… Well… It's mutual and now I'm  _ terrified _ that you'll leave.” 

Barry stared at him and the words started coming out like vomit. 

“I like you Bar. A lot. Like, I was super upset when I thought you liked Patty but I tried to help you because I just want to see you happy. And when you kept not telling me things, it was freaking me out because I thought you felt like you couldn't trust me. And then when you  _ did _ trust me, I fucked it up and left and I'm  _ so _ sorry. I'm such a jackass, but I couldn't even imagine someone as amazing as you liking someone like me so…” 

Hal trailed off, breathing heavily as he ran out of things to say. Barry was gaping smally at him, sitting up completely straight and no longer hiding behind his arms. 

Hal stood frozen as Barry moved his legs out from under the blankets. He started to stand up, only to gasp in pain.

Hal caught him before he fell, holding him up while he hissed in pain. 

“You can't walk yet, dumbass…” Hal breathed out a half chuckle as Barry gripped his arms for support. 

“I forgot.” He muttered and Hal scooped him up, setting him softly back onto the bed. 

“Why did you move?” 

Barry sighed. “I was trying to be romantic.” He said bitterly and Hal barked out a laugh, the tightness and fear slowly disappearing from his chest. 

“And what exactly were you going to do, Bar?” 

Barry blushed, eyes flicking up to meet his. 

“Uh… Kiss you…?” 

Hal's face got warm, but in a good way as a wide smile slowly spread on his face. 

Hal leaned closer, eyes half-lidded as Barry's eyes flicked between his own. He reached a hand up, softly cupping Barry's cheek, eyes twinkling as Barry's breath hitched in his throat at the contact.

He knew he wasn't out of the dog house yet. He had still hurt Barry unintentionally and planned on making it up to him tenfold. But right now, Barry wasn't pulling away. Contrairily, he was leaning forward, blue eyes bright with anticipation, making Hal's stomach flop happily. His nose brushed against the blond's. 

“You're right.” He murmured, lips barely brushing against Barry's as he whispered. “That would have been pretty damn romantic.” 

Hal closed the distance, pressing his lips softly against the other man's and  _ relishing _ in the sound of the small moan that escaped Barry's chest. Hal tilted his head, deepening the kiss as Barry's hands moved around his waist. He was just about to open his mouth when-

The door to Medbay opened with a  _ whoosh _ and they both jumped, twisting around to see Bruce standing in the doorway. 

Barry froze and Hal swallowed, but Batman didn't look fazed. 

“It's about time.” He grunted. 


End file.
